


Road to the End, Volume 6

by digitaleva



Series: Road to the End [6]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-05-25
Packaged: 2018-10-16 07:41:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10566714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/digitaleva/pseuds/digitaleva
Summary: A rescue mission. A friend in an unexpected place. A fragile peace on the verge of shattering again. All while relationships are mended, and things get a little more back on track.





	1. Discussions

"Excuse me?... Uh excuse...."

Sun was looking all over Beacon's campus for Blake, in an effort to explain the whole situation to her. There was no getting around it, or moving on with his life until he did so, and he wanted to make sure things were right between them before even making any plans. However, no matter who he tried to ask, nobody paid the Faunus any mind, simply shrugging off his attempts at communication, or ignoring them all together.

Finally, when he was near his wits end, he noticed a familiar white ponytail.

"Weiss! Hey!"

Rolling her eyes slightly, the former Heiress slowed down, allowing him to close the gap and catch up to her.

"What do you want?" she hissed, Blake's words about him leaving echoing in her mind.

"Look, I need to find Blake."

"And what makes you think she'd want to talk to you? You left."

"Well, yeah. I had to. Neptune needed to come back. At least... that's what... that's what I thought."

"What are you talking about?"

The blonde sighed. He knew that there was going to be a lot of explaining to do, especially to one Weiss Schnee.

"I know about Yang. And I did the math. And Neptune's the father. I know that. I just..."

"You wanted him to be there."

"Yeah. I didn't want Yang to be completely alone, or have her kid growing up with the same issues she did."

"And you're back to tell them this?"

"Yeah. I need to."

"They're in the room. Don't tell them I told you."

Flashing his trademark smile, Sun ran off, hollering a "Thank you!" back in her direction.

Up in the dorm room they all shared, Blake and Yang were sitting on the couch, leaning on each other. While the Faunus was reading one of her books, the fist fighter had fallen asleep.

In the silence, you could have heard a pin drop, the only sound punctuating any of it being the occasional servo whine from Yang's right arm, as her fingers twitched as she slept. She had been the victim of a very restless time the previous night, and had ended up going in and out of consciousness before moving from her own bed to Blake's, where her partner and lover had graciously scooted over to make room for her. She spent the rest of that night in limbo, finally falling asleep after several hours, so her napping wasn't unexpected.

Even now, it was apparent that she wasn't getting the rest she needed, as she started to cry, the tears coming to rest on the Faunus, causing her to place the novel on the table to change activity to comforting her partner.

"Yang, it's okay. I'm here."

The soft sound of her voice seemed to calm the blonde, her face relaxing a bit before a knock came on the door, startling her into consciousness.

"I'm up! I'm up!"

"It's open!" The annoyance in Blake's voice was obvious to anybody who heard it. Here she was, having just gotten Yang into a peaceful sleep, and somebody decided to be rude and knock. Or was it polite?

She knew Nora, Ruby, and Weiss would simply enter. So who would knock? She got her answer as the door slowly opened and Sun entered slowly, as if testing the temperature of a hot bath.

"Blake, can we talk?"

"Make it quick. You left, remember?"

"I know. That's what I want to talk about."

Meanwhile, across the campus, Ruby and Weiss were in a discussion. And it was winding down from a slight argument, which had spawned when the hooded sniper had told her girlfriend that she was going on a mission.

"So why them?"

"They're reliable, Weiss. I know I can depend on them."

"How long will you be gone?"

"According to the general, we should be back after about a week. Why?"

"Because I can't believe you took the mission without me. We're partners, aren't we?"

"Weiss, We're more than that, and you know it. What's wrong?"

"I just..."

"Weiss, I have a good reason for not asking you to come with me."

"Oh?"

"I need somebody to look after Yang. I know dad's busy being headmaster, Uncle Qrow is away doing... whatever it is he does, and, even though I trust Blake, I know you understand Yang just... maybe about as well as I do. So please? For me? Do me this favor?"

Weiss couldn't help it, as Ruby was making a face that she made when she was wanting her girlfriend to do something for her, so she relented.

"Fine. I'll stay here and make sure your violence loving older sister stays calm and out of trouble."

The two leaned in and shared a quick kiss, not wanting to get in trouble for violating one of Glynda's notoriously strict rules on PDA, despite being adults. Pulling apart, Ruby was met with a simple question.

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. I still have to tell the other team that they're going, if they haven't already been filled in by Professor Terr... er... Nero."

"That's right. Team... LUNA... wasn't it?"

"Yup. I mean, yeah, they are, as you said, young. But I think they can handle this."

"If you think they can, then I trust you. You haven't led us wrong, Ruby. Just, do me this favor: Be safe, okay?"

"You got it."


	2. Interrogator Unmasked

"You think we'll get out of here?"

Lapis shook her head at Dante's slightly snarky inquiry. She was now certain that she knew the meaning of that old proverb about absence and closeness. At the present moment, she was starting to gain some contempt towards her team mates. And his question wasn't helping matters.

"You really want an answer to that?" she hastily snapped back.

"Well, yeah. I kinda do. I'm getting sick of looking at the same grey walls."

"It's a glacier outside. Would you rather we be out there?"

"Maybe. I mean, It'd be less stuffy, that's for sure."

"And you'd be a dead human."

"Enough! Both of you knock it off! Dante, shut up. And you," Caos said, turning her head to face the Faunus, "same goes for you. We're all in the same boat here, and I am damn certain that we aren't going to die here."

Just as she was finishing, a pair of heavy thuds were heard outside the door, and the barrier slid open, revealing their captor.

"She's right. You aren't."

Lapis' ears twitched at the hopeful sound in the White Fang officer's voice. It was familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on who it belonged to.

"And what makes you say that?" she asked, tilting her head slightly. "We're prisoners of the White Fang, and your treatment of those against you doesn't have a very good reputation."

Their interrogator turned savior stepped forward removed his hood, and dropped his mask on the floor. Stepping further into the light, he was revealed to be a bat Faunus, standing around 6'2", with spiky black hair, which seemed to be tucked into his tunic. Across his right eye, his face bore a jagged scar, left years earlier. He smiled, his mouth cocked to one side.

"Because I'm getting you out of here."

On Beacon's campus, the afternoon was dragging on slowly. In the twenty four hours since Sun had shown up again, Both Yang and Blake seemed to be in better spirits, which was a relief to Weiss, as she had been dreading dealing with a depressed Yang Xiao Long the entire time Ruby was away. She was, however, curious as to what had caused not only this shift in attitude, but also the return of the monkey Faunus. And she was determined to find out the reason behind it.

"Alright, spill. What did you do?"

She had managed to corner the Faunus in the kitchen, as he was putting away groceries. And he had agreed to talk to her about what he had done on the condition that she help him.

"I told them about Neptune, I mean, about what he did in town. Yang, well.... she uh...."

"That had to have gone absolutely wonderfully," she interrupted, the sarcasm thick in her voice.

"Total understatement. You ever see Zwei when you tell him there aren't any more treats?"

"Uh... Yeah? Only all the time. Why?"

"Triple that."

The white-haired human's eyes got wide as she pictured the corgi deflating into his puddle of denial. "So how did you remedy that blunder?"

"I told her I'll take responsibility. I mean, it was my fault that Neptune was over to begin with."

"What are you saying?"

"Ice queen.... I mean, Weiss, I'm saying I'm going to be there for both of them. I just... I'm well..."

"Nervous?"

"Exactly. I mean, I've never been a dad, and I mean, I had always thought that Scarlet or Sage would be parents before me, and then they... well..."

"I know about them, yes."

The two remembered quite vividly the day that they had called Sage for some advice on a project, and he had answered, with Scarlet being heard quite clearly in the background talking about how they were on a date, and nobody was going to ruin it, not even their 'intrepid leader'.

"That was a shock."

"Indeed. Now, then, let's get them some lunch."

Back at the prison, the members of Team C_LD had been given an unexpected reunion.

"But you..."

"You're not supposed..."

"We watched..."

While Caos and Lapis were at a loss, and tripping over their own words, Dante was smirking.

"I knew it. Long time no see, Obsidian"

"Roughly 24 years, if my memory isn't wrong, right?"

"But we... we... and you... And I...." Lapis was starting to lose her composure far worse.

"You can have your moment later. For now, I need to get you all out of here. Orders came in. They want you dead."

"Who does?"

"The one woman even the boss fears."

"And that is?"

"I don't know her name. But she wears a lot of red. Last time she was here, she was being followed by a Faunus who was missing a part of his tail. Looked like it had been completely sliced off. Clean cut, too. I think it was done with a scythe."

"And what makes you so sure of that?"

"He kept ranting about a 'little bitch in a red hood'. Does that mean anything to you?"

"Damn straight it does. That's Ruby."

"Riiiight. I'm sure I'll discover who she is later. For now, though, come with me." Obsidian went around and undid all their bindings, allowing them free rein for the first time in over a month.

"What about our..."

"Weapons? They're in the hall. Not to rush you or anything, but once they realize I've let you all out, This area will be swarming with members, so if you'd make it quick, we can get out of here."


	3. Operation - Rescue I

"This is your first real mission as a team! I expect you all to work together and follow the instructions given by either myself or Professor Terra, understand?"

Ruby wasn't shouting to be mean, but to be heard. The airship's engines were loud as it had descended to a point where the doors could be opened, allowing the extraction group their first breaths of the cold, biting air on the frozen plains.

"I get that, Professor," the male rabbit Faunus spoke up, his voice being clearly heard by both adults in the group, "But I do have a few questions!"

"Fire away! We'll answer them if we can!" Nero spoke for himself and Ruby at this point, being far better equipped to handle a questioning student than his younger compatriot.

"If this is such a high priority mission, then why didn't Atlas send troops?"

"The general felt that sending more troops would only create a political situation. And that is the last thing Atlas need to be repeating right now."

A harsher voice came over the speaker in the cabin. '"Two minutes to the LZ."'

"Any more questions?"

"Just one!" The voice, this time, belonged to a young male human who, when not slightly bent over due to a mild fear of heights, stood around 5'6". His hair was styled in a manner similar to Scarlet's albeit longer and slicked back, with both sides equally shaved.

"Go ahead, Nickel!"

"Why us?"

Ruby took that moment to field the question. "Because your team is the top of your class, both in the field, and in the classroom. Those are the skills I was looking for when I made the decision, and it wasn't an easy one."

'"30 seconds to LZ. Be ready!"'

From the ground, they could hear the minor echoes of gunfire. Ruby looked at Nero, her face contorted in concern.

"Ruby, this is your call. Whichever way you decide, I'm trusting you."

"Right." She paused for a minute, and brought her hand up, running her thumb over the object she was holding before she put it back into the pocket she had tucked it into before they had departed.

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she looked down and closed her eyes. When she re-opened them, she raised her gaze to look around the cabin.

"Nickel! Umbra! You two are on the ground team with Nero! Luna and Alcian, you're support fire with me! Be prepared for a potential injured target!"

Down on the ground, the situation was slightly better than the extraction team could have been aware, with Obsidian and Nero moving around and blocking shots with Castor and Pollux, the human having let his ally use the larger of the two weapons. Caos was doing just fine dodging bullets with her sembance, but it was obvious that it was starting to wear thin on her.

Just as hope was beginning to disappear, several White Fang members fell, smoking craters visible in the ice. Looking skyward, they bore witness to three objects jumping out of a circling aircraft, followed by several more precisely placed rounds clearing a 15 meter radius for them to land in.

Immediately, the two younger individuals went to work, Kunai and Rapiers flying around rapidly, and making quick work of the aggressing Faunus between the two groups.

"Nero!"

"Dante! Good. You're still alive!"

"All thanks to him!" Dante nodded at the taller Faunus behind him.

"This the guy?"

"Yeah! And it's a long story."

Nero nodded at his cousin before pointing his weapon in their direction and pulling the trigger, the round sailing cleanly between the two and taking out an attacker who would have otherwise taken them out.

He them put a finger up to his ear. "Ruby! Clear a larger zone! We need to get Team COLD out of here. All four of them!"

"Four? Whatever. Just a moment!"

In the cabin, Ruby stepped aside and nodded. A female human then ran across, and jumped from the deck headfirst. Part way down, she pulled out her weapons, the twin pistols firing off in rapid succession as the line she was attached to went taunt, halting her descent and turning her into a human piñata of sorts.

Within a few moments, with the aid of a few, well placed shots from Crescent Rose, they had cleared an area large enough to at least get the aircraft low enough to extract the ground team.

"Everybody on board!"

Ruby's shout came between her squeezing rounds off from Crescent Rose's magazines, which she was rapidly depleting.

With Nero providing cover fire, Nickel and Umbra led the members of Team COLD to the aircraft. They had to stop when Umbra was grabbed by the ears.

"Play nice, little rabbit, and you'll go free."

"Bite me, you damn jerk!"

He wasn't a captive for very long, as a hand moved past his face, contacting the face of the taller Faunus, a metallic clang ringing out as it made contact with the face mask, the glove on it shredding as the composite material of the mask shredded the fabric.

"Get going!"

"We came to get you out!"

"Dante, I can handle this. Let me do it."

With a nod, the rest of the group began heading back to the Bullhead, with Umbra kicking and screaming over Caos' shoulder.


	4. Operation - Rescue II

"He'll be killed!" Lapis' tone was one of panic and fear. Of all of them, she was the last one who wanted to see the events of their third year at Atlas Academy play out again.

Ruby banged her hand on the bulkhead separating them from the pilot. It slid open, and she stuck her head inside.

"I want you to take off, and get directly over him. I'll take it from there."

"Yes, ma'am."

The sound of the airship's engines growing as they went into overdrive for a hasty takeoff gave Obsidian a chance to breathe a sigh of relief. Tightening his grip on Castor, he brought the blade between him and his opponent, just barely blocking the massive chainsaw that was being swung around as though a child held a stick.

"You joined us for what? What was your motivation?"

"To make a difference, not that you'd understand it. What I've done, you'll never discover, and when you do, it will be too late."

"If you're talking about the bugs, we already know. And you can now die, knowing you have failed."

The lieutenant swung his weapon, knocking the smaller sword out of the bat Faunus' hands, and then swung again, this time hitting and damaging his left arm. 

"That's right. You have mechanical limbs. I'll take them from you. Then I'll go after those Schnees you obviously got them from."

He was sent reeling as Obsidian landed a punch on his face with his right arm, his jaw shattering with a sickening crunch. Not being one to easily fall, however, he came back swinging and cut straight through the Faunus' remaining arm, a shower of sparks following the hand as it flew off.

The renewed assault on Obsidian didn't stop there, as he drove the cutting edge into his opponent's calves, severing hydraulic lines as he did, causing them to seize up.

With a snarl, he moved in for the kill, only to be stopped as his upper half was liberated from his lower with a wide swing. As he fell to the ground, bleeding out, he watched as Ruby picked up the immobilized Obsidian and they ascended into the air, suspended on a winch. He raised a hand to the sky, and made an obscene gesture before breathing his last.

Back on the airship, Everybody was busy getting Ruby and Obsidian settled. Nero had the pilot radio ahead that they would need medical teams on standby for their arrival, as, once on board, Ruby had collapsed, and Obsidian's legs were now completely non-functional.

"Lillian! See to Ruby."

"Y... yes... yes sir."

The female rabbit Faunus got up and left her twin's side to go make sure everything was okay with the scythe user.

"Obsidian...."

"I... Oh god. I'm sorry."

He looked up at Caos and Lapis and started to reach out for the woman he had once dated with his right hand, before remembering that he didn't have one at the moment, and he lowered the severed prosthetic.

"Not your fault. This... This is normal for me now. I'm used to it. Been used to it for about 21 years."

"21 years?"

"Yeah. It... uh... it took them 3 to get me back together."

"And it'll take them another 3 if you don't stop moving," Nero interrupted. "I'm not a mechanic or surgeon by any stretch of the imagination, but these are ancient. Even Ironwood's are better than this."

"Then I must have been the first. Good to know I helped that potato of a general somehow."

Dante had to suppress a giggle at the insult to the general, as he didn't exactly care for him, either.

"We can talk later. Let's just get back to the campus."

"Professors?"

"Agreed. We need to get back first."

"PROFESSORS!"

The sudden raised volume from Lillian was a shock to everybody.

"She's not breathing right."

While Lapis moved across the cabin to begin an examination, Nero all but burst through the bulkhead.

"Double time, pilot!"


	5. Recovery

On campus, crowds were gathering. And they were beginning to clog the few walkways the medical teams needed to take. They didn't disperse until a large glyph parted them, as Weiss, at a much faster pace that she had ever thought possible led the team of paramedics to the landing site.

They had no sooner gotten the call that there was a returning team coming in with potential casualties than the word spread around campus. It had gotten bad enough that even Ironwood had cause to raise his pistol into the air, and, pointing it over the cliff, fired off a shot, the report silencing the crowd.

"Now that I have your attention, please leave the area immediately. We need to get the injured to a doctor as soon as possible. That can't happen with you all here!"

He couldn't get another word out before the airship landed abruptly behind him, the side doors almost flying open as they were aided by Nero and Dante.

The medics rushed inside, and brought Obsidian out first, taking care to have him on his back as they left, followed by the general. It was only as Ruby was being lifted off the deck that Weiss started to lose it.

"I swore I'd take care of you, and now.... now look...."

She collapsed to the ground, losing her composure. She fought as hard as she could against the tears, continually reminding herself that it was undignified to do so in public. At the same time, she felt a hand come to rest on her shoulder, looking over, she saw Lapis smiling down at her.

"Let's go. I don't know the campus very well still, and I would need help finding my way."

While she could tell it was an obvious lie, the younger Schnee sister took the bait, and was able to push back her own fears for a moment, the confidence in her knowledge of the surroundings allowing her a chance to lead the way.

Inside the airship, Dante looked at Caos.

"She's strong."

"No kidding."

"Stronger than we ever could be."

"That's for damn sure."

Up in the dorms, Sun was fighting to help Blake restrain Yang while Taiyang barricaded the door.

"She's my sister! I need to see her!"

"Not right now, Yang! The doctors' need to make sure she's alright first!"

"But she.... Weiss said she.... said she would..."

"And Weiss wasn't on this mission, remember?" Blake's steel trap of a memory jarred Yang into inaction, allowing Sun to take her to the couch.

"You'll keep us posted, right?"

"Of course. And Sun?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks. Thanks for what you're doing. It... uh... it means a lot to me."

The monkey Faunus nodded as the headmaster turned and left the room, leaving a stunned Yang sitting on the couch with her extended family.

At the medical wing, which was nothing more than a series of dorm rooms that had been repurposed as the old one had been demolished and was too close to the CCT to be safe for use, Weiss was finally sitting at Ruby's bedside, her hand on the younger woman's.

Her face uncharacteristically sad, she looked at her girlfriend. A tube supplying extra oxygen was in her nose, and there was a slow IV drip hooked up to her left arm, just below the elbow. On her shoulder, the edges of a surgical dressing were visible.

They had to take the precaution of sedation, to prevent the huntress from waking up during their surgery to correct a pair of broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder, both suffered during the extraction of Team COLD.

She carefully rubbed the back of Ruby's hand with her thumb, hoping for any reaction. When she didn't get any, but could only feel her pulse, she finally broke and, placing her head on the mattress, began to cry.

She lifted her head, only to see one of the very people she was afraid of at this point in the room.

As Qrow crossed the room, she backed away and began to cower. So she was naturally shocked when the old huntsman pulled her into a hug.

"She's tough, you know."

"I know but..."

"Don't worry. She'll be fine."

"But I said I'd protect her and take care of her!"

"Shhh," he quieted her, and the continued, "two things: 1) You weren't there. There was nothing you could have done. And 2) You're fine. Don't worry. Tai doesn't blame you, and I don't blame you."

"But she...."

"She's stubborn, and headstrong, to a fault. She knows the risks of a mission. It wouldn't surprise me one damn bit if she had you stay here to allow you to keep your word."

Outside, the doctor was talking with Taiyang.

"Give it a couple days, and she should wake up again. The injuries managed to lower her Aura to dangerous levels, and we had to work to stabilize her."

"Will she be okay?"

"Like I said, give her a couple days. After that, however, reduced work. No hunts, nothing overly strenuous."

"You got it. Thanks, doc."

"Don't mention it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Over 1/2 way through this volume, and approaching the end of this portion of the story. Thank you to all who have been reading this and keeping up with it!


	6. Square 1?

Ruby's recovery took longer than planned. A couple days turned into a couple of weeks. By the end of the third week, Taiyang was beginning to worry that his daughter wouldn't wake up. Even more concerning was the fact that he couldn't, for the life of him, convince Weiss to leave her partner's side. It was taking all his patience to keep from simply picking up the lighter human and tossing her out of the room.

As the fourth week was only in its infancy, Glynda approached him with a potential solution to his problem.

"You know, we did get a message in from Winter in Atlas."

"Yeah? And?"

"She wants Weiss and a senior Huntsman or Huntress to head out to a labor dispute."

"Sounds good. She needs to get out. I'll go, too."

"No way, Tai. You stay here. Yours should be the first face she sees when she wakes up."

As the blonde male turned around to face the new voice, Glynda put her head in her hand.

"Qrow, when did you get here? And how much did you hear?"

"Enough to know that you shouldn't be going. Besides, as long as the Snow Queen keeps her distance from me, my semblance shouldn't affect her in any way."

"Is that so?"

"Besides, Glynda, you REALLY don't want me running things here."

The disciplinarian turned to face the interrim headmaster, and added her input on Qrow's suggestion.

"He's right. You should stay here. On top of all that, you also have Yang to worry about."

"Blake's got her. Same with Sun. And they're fine."

"That's not the point, Tai, and you know it."

"Yeah, but Qrow..."

"No buts. I'm going. End of story."

Reluctantly resigning himself to a loss, the blonde Huntsman agreed. "Fine. Get in. Get out. No deviating from the mission. Understood?"

"You got it," Qrow replied, heading into the room where Ruby lay unconscious.

Inside, Weiss was sitting, looking more and more dejected. She kept hoping that Ruby would wake up, but she never did. She jumped as Qrow spoke up.

"Sorry to scare you, but we got a job."

"I'm not leaving."

"Listen: You've done nothing but sit here since she got back. Ruby's tougher than you think, but it just took a lot out of her. Come on. Your sister needs our help."

Weiss couldn't believe what she was hearing. Winter needed their help? Something wasn't sitting right with her. So she voiced a question.

"She's skilled enough to handle issues with the company. Why would she need our help?"

The older human smirked. The defiant attitude that the younger woman had always possessed was there, lying just beneath the surface. And he was going to break her slump if possible.

"Labor dispute. She specifically asked for you to handle this."

"Why me, though?"

"Winter's good, you're damn right about that, but there are things that just aren't her forte. You can be blunt, but you have a head for reading a room and heading up a negotiation. I'm just there in case things go south."

"You mean in case somebody tries to assassinate me."

"Damn dark way of looking at things, but yeah. If that's what makes sense to you."

"Where and when?"

"Mine just south of Mountain Glenn. Near the border. When is right now."

"Then let's get going. Keeping the mines open is important."

Satisfied as the former heiress rose and left the room, Qrow took a parting glance at his niece.

"Wake up soon, kiddo. She needs you. More than you know."

In another room, Obsidian was lying on his back. He hated the wait, but he knew he'd be out of there soon enough. His formerly destroyed right arm was already replaced, as were his legs, but the left arm was proving to take longer, as they needed to adapt the older attachment points to the newer, and infinitely more efficient prosthetics. As he lay there, surrounded by nobody, he thought back over the time he had spent in the White Fang. He had believed his team mates to be retired, but that had been proven to be a lie when news reports had shown all three of them fighting at the Fall of Beacon.

How many other lies had he been told by the military? The general didn't seem to be aware of them, much less that he had been their operative. Which he could rationalize, as they had obscured his face during the mission briefing all those years ago. Not to mention that Ironwood would have never heard him prior to that.

Raising his arm, he marveled at how smooth the elbow and wrist moved, as well as the lack of effort it took to manipulate things with the equally fluid fingers. He had been visited by a blonde with a similar arm, but hers was done up in yellow and black, who had informed him that the designer was unconscious just down the hall. She had seemed sad about something else, but he wasn't sure what. She had left with a black haired cat Faunus, both women looking to be fairly far along in a pregnancy.

"How you doin', Sid?"

The sudden voice shook him out of his thoughts.

"Fine, Dante. Just fine."

"You know," the shorter Huntsman said, crossing the room, "you could get up and go for a walk if you wanted. You aren't required to stay here."

"Yeah, but it could be done...."

"I know. Any minute. Come on. We're gonna go see her."

"See.... her?"

Dante held out his hand, and helped his team mate up off his back and into a seated position. He then led the bat Faunus out of the door and down two rooms, where he knocked before entering.

"Professor... I... I didn't hear you come in."

"It's all good, Tai. Thought that somebody who was helped by her skills should know who designed the system."

As Obsidian entered, he was shocked at what he saw. There, in the bed, was a shorter human, covered by a blanket, and hooked up to multiple machines. He looked at Dante and Taiyang, who were smiling slightly.

"She's not waking up, is she?"

"She should have woken up a little over three weeks ago. But it's fine. She'll pop back into consciousness when she's ready."

The taller individual looked at his friend. "You... seem awfully calm about this."

"She's one of my former students. I know what she can do. Ruby Rose is not one to be taken lightly."


	7. Contract

On the aircraft, Weiss and Qrow were discussing their strategies.

"But I don't get it. Why should you hang back?"

"It's my semblance. I bring misfortune."

"That... can't be right. You always seem to have amazingly good luck!"

"Look. Whatever you need to tell yourself. Just know that I am either going to exit after you, or before you. One of two. Then I'll keep my distance."

"Based on what I'm seeing outside right now," the white-haired Huntress answered, noting the seemingly hostile crowd, "I would say before would be appreciated."

"You got it."

The two then stood, headed to the exit of the vehicle, and opened the door.

Outside, the crowd, comprised mostly of Faunus workers, was growing impatient. So, when the door opened, they only got louder. The anger increased when Qrow stepped out onto the platform before Weiss.

"I see! So they sent somebody who isn't with the company to make demands!"

"Send out the Schnees!"

"Who's this lackey!?"

"ALL OF YOU STEP BACK!"

Qrow's shout took them all by surprise. None of them had expected it to happen, much less from the man they had already written off as a simple goon in the employ of the Schnee Dust Company.

"Now then, Qrow, that's enough. I'm not here to make demands. I want to negotiate. As equals."

"Then you go through me." The voice belonged to a heavier set Faunus with scales intermittently visible on his face and arms.

"Very well." Weiss extended her hand, intending to be met with a potential attack, but was pleasantly met with a returned hand shake. "Shall we?"

Back on Beacon's campus, Obsidian was walking around. He hadn't been here since their Sophomore year at Atlas Academy, and was shocked to see some of the changes that had been made to the campus, as well as the placement of the new statue.

"How old were they?"

"She," Dante began, gesturing to the stone likeness of Pyrrha, "died when she was 17. During the White Fang assault on the campus." He then turned to the effigy meant to resemble Jaune. "And he died during the reclamation of the campus. At 20. He took out the person who killed her."

"Both students of yours?"

"Yeah. In a way. He was so... broken when we met again. He wasn't the same."

Looking down at his friend, Obsidian noticed the change in mood. Taking one last look at the statue, he patted Dante on the back with his attached limb.

"Hey, let's get out of here. There's more campus to see."

Back in the med ward, Taiyang had changed places with Yang, who, along with Blake and Sun, were keeping a silent vigil over Ruby's unconscious form.

"She's gotta wake up."

"I... I don't know if she will, Sun. Last time she was unconscious, she was out for several months."

"Yang," Blake said, her tone comforting, "That was after she tapped into a power we still don't understand. This was medical. She'll wake up. Ruby is, if nothing else, the strongest of us all."

"I know that, Blake. It's just... Despite everything, she's still... she's still..."

"I'm still here, and you're loud."

"Ruby!"

The scythe user started to sit up, before Blake and Sun held her down on the bed.

"What? I'm fine."

"Ruby, you had shattered ribs and a dislocated shoulder."

"I did? Huh. Explains the pain near my neck." She then looked around the room. "Where's Weiss? I could have sworn I heard her voice while I was sleeping."

Out at the mines, Qrow's scroll buzzed, and his expression changed from sour to pleased. He headed over to where the negotiations were wrapping up.

"So, that's... it? You just want to be able to settle here?"

"Yeah. Seemed like a silly thing for them to get upset over, but what can you do?"

"Very true. You have it. And a pay increase."

"Thank you, Ms. Schnee. I... I don't know what to say!"

"You don't need to thank me. My sister and I are taking this company back to how it was when our grandfather ran it. We will treat all our employees as equals, no matter what."

"That is a relief to hear. My own daughter, Ilia, joined the White Fang over your father's policies. I wish she had been patient." He noticed Qrow's approach. "It would seem that your associate has some news."

Weiss turned to face Qrow. As he drew closer, she could see the almost dopey grin on his face.

"And what is that for?"

"She's awake."


	8. On the Town

"But why are we out here?"

Ruby, still hobbling around on crutches, was being led around the still under construction downtown shopping district by her uncle, sister, and girlfriend.

"Because, kiddo, you need to get out. Fresh air is damn good for you after you've been in the hospital as long as you have."

"On top of that, Ruby," Yang said, shooting a slight glare in her uncle's direction as he took a healthy swig from his flask, "we haven't had a chance to be out as a family in a while."

Ruby looked at her older sibling, still amazed that she was going to be an aunt in a few months. Yang's once toned abs were missing, replaced by the rather obvious bump that came with pregnancy. She quickly returned her attention to the street when the blonde woman turned to look at her.

"What's wrong, sis?"

"N... nothing," Ruby half-lied, rubbing the back of her head, ruffling her own hair slightly. Then, to change the topic, she brought up something she saw. "What are they up to?"

Sure enough, across the street, Lilian and Umbra were walking through the town, hand in hand.

"It looks like they're on a date. Cute," Qrow uttered with a slight hint of envy in his voice.

"There is no way that's going down on my watch," Weiss chided.

"Why not, Snow Queen? They're on a date. Kinda normal at that age," the drunk uttered, taking another swig from his seemingly bottomless flask.

"Uncle Qrow, they're siblings!"

At this, the older human spit out the beverage he had attempted to consume, showering his older niece in spit and whiskey. He then turned to face his hobbled niece, a look of utter confusion on his face.

"Uncle Qrow! Gross!"

In a nearby restaurant, Umbra was ordering from the waiter, deciding to use buying Lilian lunch as an excuse to lose their followers.

"But... why here? This is a place for people on dates, isn't it?"

"Just act natural. I know who was following us. We may not be able to head back out if they continue to do so."

Umbra then ran his foot up Lilian's leg gently, causing her to blush at the contact.

"Umbra... I.... We can't.... We're in publ.... mmmm..... public."

Almost immediately, his face paled as he remembered about her legs being hyper sensitive to contact.

"Sorry...."

"Don't apologize. Just be careful, okay?"

"Shouldn't you two be in class?"

Immediately, they paled as they looked over to see Obsidian and Lapis, the shorter of the two having been the source of the question. They had almost forgotten to be more discreet with their excursions off campus after being caught once skipping class with their entire team.

"And shouldn't you be in the med ward," Umbra shot at Obsidian, who was still without his left arm.

"Arm's not ready yet. Go figure, right? Assuming you were given time off after the mission."

"Actually, we were. How did you....."

"Know," Obsidian interrupted the male rabbit. "Easy. My best friend is your teacher."

"And we are out on a date, mister 'I hear some of Dante's students'. Please remember that," Lapis reminded the group, causing Umbra and Lilian to both sink lower in their seats, the pair now upset that they had seemingly interrupted something that was probably very difficult to plan.

Back outside, Ruby and Weiss were holding down the fort while Qrow and Yang had ducked into a clothing store, the older male offering to replace Yang's alcohol soaked top. In the aftermath of the near outburst, they realized that they had managed to lose sight of both rabbit Faunus, much to Weiss' chagrin.

"Ruby, they're siblings. We can't let them..."

"I know, Weiss. I know! All we can really do is let Profess.... er.... Dante know when we get back. He's kind of their faculty advisor."

"Since when did students have those?"

"Ever since dad took over. The idea was that students could get smaller, more personalized training from a fully trained Huntsman or Huntress."

The former heiress sighed. "Why do I have the feeling that this was not his idea, but something proposed by Professor Goodwitch?"

"Probably. Wouldn't put it past Glynda to come up with something like that. Plans along those lines were never Tai's specialty."

"GYAH! UNCLE QROW!"

The sudden reappearance of the alcoholic had startled the now Weiss-borne leader. 

"Ruby?"

"Hmm?"

"Can you get down, please? You aren't as light as you think. Also, the doctor said for your to be careful about moving fast for a while."

The former leader untangled herself from around her new perch, and slowly got down, Yang ready with her walking aids.

"On top of that, sis, we need to head back. It's getting late."

The reformed quartet turned towards the airship docks, prepared to head back to the campus. However, they were stopped when Weiss put a hand on Yang's arm.

"'sup?"

"Yang, you and Qrow go ahead. I'd like to be alone with Ruby for a while. If... if that's alright."

"Sure thing, Snow Queen," Qrow quipped, earning a quick glare. "Just... uh... don't do anything I wouldn't."


	9. Chapter 9

"Weiss, why did you want us to be alone?"

Ruby's quizzical expression was one of the many things that the now head of the Schnee Dust Company had found endearing about the younger Huntress, and she wasn't about to let her know that it was a major part of the reason she kept surprising her.

"W...well, we needed to have some time to just ourselves, Ruby. We never get that with Yang, Blake, and Sun around."

As she thought, Ruby realized that her companion was absolutely right. Two weeks ago, they had been presented with an opportunity to be alone, and, just as things had started to become intimate, Yang had walked in, ruining the moment, and no amount of glaring from her or Weiss was causing it to get through to the blonde.

And just in the last week, they had been interrupted by all three members of the trio on several occasions. Even she had to admit that it was obnoxious.

"Good point. So, Weiss," she began to inquire, her voice more hushed, for fear of a promise her sister had made when they were younger, "what'cha got in mind?"

"Your vocabulary aside, we won't be going back to the campus tonight. We'll be in a hotel. Just you and me." She smiled, wiggling her eyebrows slightly, a trait that she was certain she had gained from all the time she had been spending around her girlfriend's sister.

Elsewhere in the world, a meeting was taking place. The three people in the room were discussing the plans for what seemed to be an upcoming battle.

"But how do you know they'll come?"

"Because, doctor, you will lure them there."

The voice belonged to a woman of considerable height, with extremely pale skin and clad in black garments.

"Fine fine. But what of....," he glanced around, as if to check for unwanted eavesdroppers, before saying, in a more hushed tone. "...him."

"Oh, he'll be easy enough. He did come to us, remember?"

"This is true, but what if he...?"

"Betrays? Oh, I doubt that. He will be getting exactly what he desires, soon enough. After that, he will do as we say."

Back in Vale, Weiss was awakened by her scroll ringing. She lazily and habitually reached out from the bed to pick it up, only for her hand to be met with empty space. Momentarily thrown off by the change, she sat up and blinked. The room was slightly unfamiliar, until her eyes adjusted to the dimmer light.

And why was it so cold? Surely her nightgown should have been blocking the cooler air. As she looked down she found herself very much exposed, her attire strewn across the room. In a brief moment of panic, she grabbed the sheet and wrapped it around her petite frame, as she rose to search for the source of the incessant beeping.

With her being more focused on finding it, as opposed to paying attention to her surroundings, she failed to notice that the only other body in the room was moving around, the sound having now woken both of them.

As she found the device, she glanced at the time. 4AM. And it was Yang. Making a mental note to kill the blonde if this was a case of her 'just checking up', she answered.

"Yang, do you know what time it is?"

"Not imporant. Where are you two?"

"In Vale. Between you and Sun, I'm honestly amazed Blake can even sleep."

"She purrs, Weiss. She purrs. But that's not important. It's Nora."

As soon as the hammer queen's name came out, Weiss was suddenly wide awake.

"When did she start?"

"About an hour ago. Sun said not to call you, but I know you'd want to be here, same as Ruby."

"Where are they?"

"Campus med facility. They're equipped for this, believe me. Even if they weren't, Glynda knows what to do. On top of that...."

"Yang."

"...and dad's here and ready...."

"Yang."  
"...and Uncle Qrow is hiding..."

"YANG!"

The shout brought the blonde out of her rambling. "Yeah?"

"Calm down, we're on our way. Don't work yourself up, remember?"

"Good point. Thanks, Weiss."

The call ended, and Weiss went to turn around only to be stopped by a weight on her back.

"Ruby?"

"Whowassit?"

"Your sister."

"Comebacktobed....."

"Nora's in the hospital wing."

"Crap! We gotta get there!"

The pair then hastily dressed and left, heading towards the campus as fast as local transportation would allow.

On campus, Taiyang was doing his best to assist Sun in keeping both Blake and Yang calm, while Qrow was, in fact, not hiding, but was very much in the room, after having convinced Glynda to tell them the moment they knew how it went.

The lack of shouting from the room that had once held Ruby when she was in her medically induced coma was both nerve wracking and reassuring. On the one hand, it meant that things were going smoothly, and there was nothing to worry about. On the other hand, it meant that nobody outside of the closed door had any idea what was going on.

It was roughly two hours into this when Ruby and Weiss arrived, looking slightly disheveled, leading to Yang bringing up the most obvious question.

"Were you two... in the middle of something?"

It was only then that the pair looked at themselves. Sure enough, Weiss was clad in Ruby's button up shirt, which had been pulled on quick enough that she had failed to button all the buttons, and Ruby was wearing Weiss' hoodie, the shorter garment riding up a little, exposing her midriff and forearms slightly. That, combined with the fact that neither one of them had tied their shoes, made them appear like rejects from one of the varying animated films that Yang and Blake were so fond of.

"None of your business." Weiss huffed, embarrassed to be out in public looking like this.

"Honestly," Taiyang said, between bits of attempting to hold back laughter, "She's right, Yang. But Ruby?"

"Hmm?"

"How did you not notice?"

"Dad, it's, like, 5AM. Yang got us around 4. We were tired and got up quickly, and dressed quickly, so.... yeah."

"If you are all done with your discussion, I have an announcement to make."

The entire group turned to face the voice.

"They, as in Mrs. Valkyrie and the twins, are both fine. Lie Ren, however, is being treated for a broken hand."

"She always could beat me at arm wrestling...."

"Yang..?" Blake turned to her partner and lover.

"Hmm?"

"Shut up."


End file.
